McDonald's flies Bell home for 'battle'

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Charlie Bell, one of the few Australian businessmen to make a
mark on Wall Street, is returning to Australia to continue his
treatment for cancer.

American burger giant McDonald's is spending $US300,000
($A380,000) on a medically equipped plane to take its former chief
executive home from the US.

Mr Bell, 44, was appointed to the top job at the global
McDonald's empire in May, just days after being diagnosed with
colon cancer. He expected to be able to continue working during
medical treatment. He underwent surgery in May and August and it
became clear he was struggling.

A fortnight ago Mr Bell resigned from his position to devote his
energy to what McDonald's chairman Andrew McKenna described as "his
courageous battle".

McDonald's said yesterday it would pay to fly Mr Bell and his
family back in the adapted plane, and would also buy the Bell
family's US home, ship their belongings to Australia and cover any
tax liability as a result of the arrangement.

Mr Bell's is a classic story of a supremely talented businessman
who left school early and worked his way from the very bottom to
the top of a major global empire - and he did so at the world's
largest restaurant group, serving 47 million people a day. He
started work at McDonald's in Sydney when he was 15, became
Australia's youngest McDonald's store manager by 19, was
vice-president of the Australian McDonald's group by 27, and
president two years later.

He then moved to Asia and Europe before shifting to the
McDonald's global head office at Oak Brook, Illinois, in 2002.

Mr Bell was much admired on Wall Street because he was the key
driver behind the successful introduction of healthier menu
options.